Call for papers/presentations on the theme:
Incarnating the Common Good – Catholic Institutions Engaging Diversities
Date: April 29-May 1, 2024
Host: Irene and Doug Schmeiser Centre for Faith, Reason, Peace, and Justice
St. Thomas More College, Saskatoon, SK
The Prairie Symposium for the Common Good is an initiative of St. Paul’s College, University of Manitoba; Campion College, University of Regina; and St. Thomas More College, University of Saskatchewan. The symposium takes place at a different college on a rotating basis, attracting scholars and practitioners devoted to examining the Common Good through the prism of an annual theme. The symposia are interdisciplinary, interfaith, and look forward to forging connections among scholars, institutions, and communities and faith. In 2024, the theme will be: Incarnating the Common Good – Catholic Institutions Engaging Diversities.
This year, the keynote speaker is Meghan Clark, Ph.D., of St. John’s University (NY). The title of her lecture is “Everyone is Needed: Building the Common Good through Dialogue and Friendship.” Furthermore, Dawn M. Nothwehr, OSF, Ph.D. of Catholic Theological Union will deliver the Ayotte Lecture on Faith and the Environment. The title of her lecture is, “Sharing the Creator’s Earth: St. Francis and the Sultan as a Model of Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples?”
As host of the 2024 symposium, the Irene and Doug Schmeiser Centre for Faith, Reason, Peace, and Justice invites proposals. The symposium’s theme “Incarnating the Common Good – Catholic Institutions Engaging Diversities” should be considered broadly, with diversities understood as pointing to a variety of perspectives, cultures, and peoples. Presentations by scholars and practitioners in a range of Catholic institutions (education, health, social services, NGOs, etc.), as well as their secular, ecumenical, and multifaith partners, are welcome. In the spirit of Pope Francis’ promotion of cultures of encounter, this gathering will explore how Catholic institutions and entities can, and do, lead with compassion, recognizing the inherent human dignity within the communities they serve. Vital to the symposium will be naming the tensions and promises of such commitments within a pluralistic world, as well as highlighting concrete paths of dialogue and action. This conference will not shy away from difficult conversations, including, but not limited to those surrounding LGBTQ2S+ equality, Indigenization, ecumenical and interfaith partnerships, biomedical issues, secularization, structural and corporate sin within Catholic institutions, and gender equity. The symposium will foster safe and respectful dialogue concerning the unique contributions of Catholic institutions engaging diversities in support of the common good.
All presentations will be limited to 20 minutes in length. Individual submissions and panels are welcome.
This in-person symposium will take place in Saskatoon starting on the evening of Monday, April 29th and running until Wednesday, May 1, 2024. Proposals of no more than 250 words can be sent by Jan. 31, 2024 to Chris Hrynkow, Co-director of the Irene and Doug Schmeiser Centre for Faith, Reason, Peace, and Justice at schmeisercentre@stmcollege.ca.
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